Zero hours
Zero hours contracts are sometimes used by employers that require flexibility in their workforce, for example where the need for workers is unpredictable. Under a zero hours contract, the employer is not obliged to offer the worker a set number of hours. Their use has attracted controversy and in 2013 the government outlined plans to restrict the use of “exclusivity clauses” whereby workers are stopped from working for other employers.
CIPD Festival of Work: Not all gig economy work is bad
Drawing narrow comparisons between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types of work does nothing to help precarious workers, according to a panel...
Uber drivers in court over ministers’ failure to help gig workers
The High Court today hears a case brought by drivers and the IWGB over Treasury's failure to protect precarious workers during the Covid-19 crisis.
Establish ‘wage boards’ to address low-paid workers’ earnings
The government should introduce a ‘new settlement’ for low paid workers, giving them more control over the hours they work...
From ‘forgotten’ to ‘key’ workers: protecting the precariously employed
While the Covid-19 crisis is a worrying and uncertain time for all of us, it brings into sharp focus some...
Tech giants Uber and Airbnb make sweeping job cuts
Pandemic forces global tech giants to reshape workforces, but country-by-country breakdown of job losses unknown.
Unpaid work means women underpaid by £126bn
Unpaid work such as childcare, cooking and cleaning means the gender pay gap is much higher than official figures, according...
April 2020 employment law changes: eight tasks for HR
Each April, HR professionals must ensure that their organisation complies with the latest round of amended employment laws and deadlines....
Top 10 HR questions January 2020: Coronavirus and Brexit
What steps should employers take to manage the coronavirus outbreak?
At the start of the new year, employers have been...
One in three employees say their job is ‘low quality’
Research published today shows that 36% of UK employees report having a “low-quality” job.
Analysis of the Household Longitudinal Study...
Young and old most likely to miss out on paid holiday and payslips
The youngest and oldest staff working in atypical ways, such as temporary work, are the most at risk of missing...
Labour would create ‘Ministry of Employment Rights’
A future Labour government would create a ministry of employment rights and a workers’ protection agency, Jeremy Corbyn has announced....
Businesses may need to compensate workers facing cancelled shifts
The government has announced new proposals of compensation for workers when their shift is cancelled at short notice
How employees are using social activism to make their voices heard
With traditional union membership in decline, employees are finding new ways to voice their opposition to corporate decisions, as shown...
Railways urged to end zero-hours contracts after fatality
The death of a likely-fatigued rail maintenance worker has prompted call for widespread change in the industry
Job insecurity fuelling university staff hardship
Seven in 10 university academics and teaching staff say their mental health has been “damaged” by working on insecure contracts,...
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